Mandy has been with ABC Newspapers since 2007, when she joined the staff as the editor of the Anoka County Union. She has been the managing editor of the UnionHerald and Blaine Spring Lake Park Life since 2014.

Anoka rezones land for cemetery expansion

The Anoka City Council approved the rezoning of a small piece of property being purchased by the Church of St. Stephen to be used for long-term expansion of Calvary Cemetery.

The Anoka City Council rezoned a piece of property for when the Calvary Cemetery expands.

The property, located at 1 ATK Way, is currently owned by Austin Grove, LLC and is the green space located in front of the Alliant Techsystems (ATK) building.

Last week the city officially rezoned the property to R1 residential, which allows for both churches and cemeteries. The property had been zoned general industrial.

According to Planner Erik Thorvig, many institutional types of uses such as schools, churches and cemeteries are located in residential districts.

Once the land is purchased by St. Stephen’s it will become exempt. The city assessor has estimated this at a loss of $3,000 of total taxes. The property, which will be subdivided, is currently owned by Austin Grove, LLC.

The Anoka Planning Commission had a public hearing on the rezoning in early December when it approved the rezoning of the 40,117 square-foot parcel.